Theater

The 15th annual New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC) plays August 12 - 28, 2011 at more than a dozen venues in Lower Manhattan, New York City.

FringeNYC is the largest multi-arts festival in North America, with 200 of the world's best emerging theatre troupes and dance companies. Attendance has topped over 75,000 people, making FringeNYC New York City’s fifth largest cultural event (just behind New York International Auto Show, Tribeca Film Festival, New York City Marathon, and New York Comic Con).

It has been a given for well over a century that New York City is The go-to place for live theater, so a theater festival there might almost seem redundant. But there are several good reasons for this festival.

The 9th annual Woodstock Fringe 2011 Festival of Theatre & Song is taking place July 30 - August 21, 2011 at the Byrdcliffe Theatre in Woodstock, New York.

Woodstock Fringe is a professional performing arts organization that develops and presents new and experimental theatrical and musical works. The Fringe serves as a home to emerging and established artists, providing a collaboration between the artists and the audience as they pursue the highest standard of live performance.

The season kicks off with a benefit and reading as well as a party. Following hors d'oeuvres and wine, distinguished multiple Tony Award winning actress Frances Sternhagen performs a reading of Andrew Johns’ play, Sisters, a comedy about families, aging, and staying present during the "September" years of our lives. Also in the cast are Greg Mullavey, Evangeline Johns and Michael Citriniti.

This year‛s plays are:

Chapter & Verse – a World Premiere by Memrie Innererarity, Obie award winner, this one-person show is about growing up in the Deep South.

American Heretic – A new comedy by Joe Raiola, MAD Magazine Senior Editor and creator of Almost Obscene. "Passionately uncensored and irreverent, Raiola wages war on the status quo -- and any holy book with more than 200 pages."

The Playwrights Unit is a group of playwrights, composers, lyricists, book writers and actors who gather every other week to share and develop new work. The culture of the Playwrights Unit is one of community, nourishment, honor, mutual respect, and professionalism.

This workshop is best suited to self-guided professionals in pursuit of excellence, who desire creative connection, collaboration with peers and share excitement and joy in the creative process.

Two One-Act comedies from the Playwrights Unit are:

Finding Elvis – by Mindy Pfeffer, Playwright in Residence. Two longtime friends re-kindle their friendship at Graceland, and a lonely fan of "the King" finds true love in an unexpected way. Directed by Nicola Sheara; with Noni Connor, Dana Patton, Mindy Pfeffer.

Moonbite, a Montage of Radiant Lunacy – by Ariana Johns, Playwright in Residence. "[A] playful, eccentric romp, featuring some of the denizens from the penumbra of society as they search for love and understanding...and a trip to the moon!." With Michael Bergen, Ariana Johns, Mindy Pfeffer, Chelsea Roach, Victor Truro.

First Looks: Staged Readings of New Plays

Lies like Truth by George Wolf Reily – Two aging actors, former best friends and colleagues in the 1960s Off-Off Broadway movement, are reunited in a Manhattan old-age home and try to start an avant-garde theatre in the home.

Marker by Mel Green – The dark side of funny -- an odyssey in search of family, based on events from real life.

Like a Sack of Potatoes by Ric Siler – A gothic tale about a father and his daughters, and what he'll do to protect them.

Two by Jerry McGee:

For Better or For Worse – After 21 years, can their marriage survive Valentine’s Day?

How to Weed Your Garden – It’s Olivia’s 68th birthday party but she’s not celebrating. Her best friend has stolen her secret recipe and her husband isn’t mowing the lawn like he used to.

Other Fringe features are:

Goat Hill Poets – Originally a monthly salon of poets who met to critique and encourage new work, the Goat Hill Poets are all published poets and all have been featured in poetry series in the Hudson Valley area. Current members are: Marianna Boncek, Leslie Gerber, Alison Koffler, Judith Lechner, Tara McCarthy, Guy Reed, Cheryl A. Rice.

Horowitz & Malkine – Stand-up poet Mikhail Horowitz and French guitarist Gilles Malkine return with "fugitive parody, garbled monologues, obscure songs, unsustainable skits, and theatrical ineptitude. They'll be joined in this program by several guests who, at the urging of their agents, wish to remain anonymous."

Woodstock Fringe is made possible in part by support from NYSCA, a state agency.

The Riant Theatre presents the 20th annual NYC Strawberry One-Act Festival from July 28 - August 7, 2011 at The Hudson Guild Theater in Manhattan, New York City.

The brainchild of Artistic Director Van Dirk Fisher, the Festival is a play competition twice a year (in February and in July/August) in which the audience and the theatre's judges cast their votes to select the best play of the season. This year, 38 plays are in competition.

The Opening Night plays include:

Series A:

Press Seven by Sam ReismanA mysterious voicemail threatens the sanity of two men.

All They Need Is Love by Jennifer MarvelWhen it comes down to it - the one thing everyone wants in their life is Love.

Merry Meeting by Jacob Marx RiceWhat happens when a man comes home to find his wife having sex with another man, beats that man unconscious and then sits down to have a civilized conversation.

Series B:

The Prenup by Charles GershmanA side-splitting caricature of coupledom in which a young man’s marriage proposal unravels.

Criminal Mischief by Ellen OrchidHe was a great boyfriend. Until his wife showed up.

Other plays this season include:

It’s Gonna Work Out Fine by Arlene Corsanomusic and lyrics by Rose Marie McCoyThe only musical in the line-up, this is the inspiring, true-life story of a prolific and influential songwriter who provided hundreds of hits for the hottest rhythm and blues singers of the 1950s and ‘60s as well as for Elvis Presley, the singer who turned rhythm and blues into rock 'n' roll.

Horst and Graben at the Chateau Godot by Jeffrey GoldHorst was waiting for his date. Then Graben arrived.

Some of the other entries are:

An Encounter with an Angel on the 42nd Street Platform While Contemplating SuicideWritten & directed by Anna GovernaliFeaturing Candice Goodluck, Ginger Kearns, Michael McMullan, Victory Chappotin, Michael BorneAs Hunny is sent to save a lost soul that lingers between life and death, the one she is really meant to save is herself.

Butterfly by Trish ColeThe Newtowne PlayersFeaturing Gloria Ranta, Missy Bell, Jessica MagnoEvocative in the spirit of M. Butterfly, Trish Cole’s Butterfly examines a mother who seeks refuge in an imaginary wildflower field when pushed to confront, from jail, the memories of her relationship with her transgender child.

Paid Off by Robert D. Argen"Trust me, I’m a banker." Wall Street and Main Street collide in this poignant drama about a banker’s struggle to prove his moral worth to his grieving former English teacher.

Crossing Verrazano by Anthony FuscoThree young men visiting NYC for a weekend of fun, experience an incident they will never forget. What really happened that night? Based on a true story.

Weight by Kerri Campbell Evans3 Embryos, 2 women and 1 waiting room.

The Woman Will Get Hurt! By John PassadinoFeaturing Vivian Wyrick, Vincent ComponoA man is unexpectedly brought to trial for allegedly breaking the rules of a relationship.

The Semi-Finals:August 1 - 3The best plays that have advanced to the Semi-Finals will be performed again.

The Wild Night:Thursday, August 4These plays are chosen by the Artistic Director to give them another chance to earn a spot in the Finals.

The Finals:Friday, August 5 and Saturday, August 6 One play from each Semi-Finals and 1 play from each Wild Night advance to the Finals.

All the playwrights in the Festival return to judge the Finals along with the Theatre’s judges and Audience. The Playwrights‛ and the Theatre’s Judges‛ votes count for 60% of the vote.

The Award Ceremony & Performance:Sunday, August 7 The 4 plays with the most votes from the finals perform at the Awards Show and Awards are presented to the Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director & Best Play.

Several of this season’s plays will be published in the next edition of The Riant Theatre’s anthology, The Best Plays From the Strawberry One-Act Festival, Volume 8.

The Festival has served as a springboard to major roles in television, film, and theater for a number of its participants.

The 36th Annual Samuel French Inc. Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival runs July 19 - 24, 2011 at The Lion Theater at Theatre Row in New York City.

The Off Off Broadway Festival started in 1975 and is Manhattan’s most established short play festival. Hundreds of theatre companies and schools have participated in the Festival’s first thirty-five years, including companies from coast to coast and abroad. This Festival has served as a doorway to future success for many aspiring writers.

The week-long festival will feature a selection of 40 short plays, six of which will be chosen by the Samuel French, Inc. Editorial Staff with assistance from a panel of judges comprised of established playwrights, literary agents and artistic directors, to receive publication and licensing contracts.

The 40 plays presented in the Festival have been chosen from over 1,000 submissions by playwriting workshops, university theatre programs, and professional companies from across the country.

Plays in the Festival are:

Tuesday, July 19:

Cabfare for the Common Man by Mark Harvey Levine. A man goes on the cab ride of his life. 10 mins.

Screen by Nick Gandiello. As Chelle prepares for her father’s wake, she finds a terrible secret on his laptop. 30 mins.

Hanksylvania by Travis Helwig. The story of a professional football coach and the halftime speech that changed his life. 12 mins.

Chun Li by Camilla Maxwell. Two boys who should be at a comic-con convention wait at an STD clinic. 10 mins.

Queen Elizabeth of Factory Fifteen by Tariq Hamami. A female factory worker during WWII must let go of all the women now that the men are returning from war. 30 mins.

Bubble & Squeak by Evan Twohy. It really will not be good if there are cabbages in Delores’ pants. 25 mins.

Wednesday, July 20:

The Body Washer by Rosemary Frisino Toohey. A young woman is killed at a military checkpoint. Her death is seen through three sets of eyes. 12 mins.

The Burglar by Kevin V. Mead. Andrew and Alex live a happy, normal life in the big city…until the darker side of the big city comes bursting through their door. 25 mins.

Mr. Crossover by Mohammad Yousuf. A young, arrogant streetball player tries to hustle his way into an elite gym. 10 mins.

Create Me Pegasus by Amy E. Witting. Deila sees Frank in a new light, shadowed with sadness and hope for the future. 25 mins.

Mountain Song by Josh Beerman. At her father's funeral, Trisha discovers her mother’s buried family secrets and a ghost that haunts them both. 30 mins.

Flight Risk by Caron Levis. He has no choice but to ask her to step out of the vehicle. 10 mins.

Thursday, July 21:

Assisted Living by Jeffrey Neuman. A tense visitation occurs in an assisted living facility. 25 mins.

Blood Grass by J. Stephen Brantley. When a young man with a knife in his gut appears in her garden, Mary is forced to confront her past. 14 mins.

Pluck & Tenacity by Daniella Shoshan. One member of an aspiring rap duo decides to go rogue in order to write love songs. 14 mins.

Honey Mushroom by Gabrielle Reisman. The Honey Mushroom fungus and the General Sherman sequoia are unlikely penpals in a budding romance. 11 mins.

The Painter by Stacy Oseiby Kuffour. Cousins reunite to end a haunting promise. 30 mins.

Grapple by Sarah Young. A re-working of the story of Rapunzel. 25 mins.

Friday, July 22:

Run. Run. Stop. by Stacy Davidowitz. The fractured journey of a runner who is only able to make sense of her relationships after being the victim of a fatal hit and run. 15 mins.

Bedfellows by Adam Peltzman. John Adams and Benjamin Franklin are forced to share a bed at a crowded inn. 10 mins.

The Truth About Christmas by Daniel Pearle. Three mothers and a guidance counselor try to come to terms with an act of school violence. 17 mins.

H.M.S. Headwind by Michael Gordon Shapiro. In this short Gilbert and Sullivan-esque musical, the merry crewmen of an 18th century British naval frigate struggle with their inability to capture a single pirate. 15 mins.